Filming "The Girl Who Cries Blood"
By: Puja Verma
Researcher and Translator, The Girl Who Cries Blood
Premieres Sunday September 13 9P et/pt
It's the 28th of March and a popular Hindu festival is in full swing. I and the other Hindu crew members are observing this and, much to my dismay it means consuming no alcohol, no meat, and no delicious omelettes for breakfast in the hotel coffee shop!
After a day of filming with Twinkle and her Mother in the Hospital, the crew decide to leave the hotel complex and have dinner at a famous Mumbai restaurant. Twinkle and her mother are tired and so opted to relax in front of prime time Indian TV and order-in room service. Our sound recordist and camera assistant also opted out and as they were staying on the same floor I left knowing that someone would be on hand if there was a problem.
Dinner was great fun, Dr. Buchanan and my director, Paul Nelson discussed politics and food all night while our DOP, Virendra, our Fixer, Basit and myself discussed how boring their conversation was in Hindi.
As we left the restaurant the DOP convinced me to try an Indian delicacy called Paan. Paan is a folded leaf which is stuffed with coconut, herbs and cardamom and is eaten to aid digestion after a meal. As I try to get to grips with this my phone rings. It's Twinkle's Mother. Twinkle is bleeding from her eyes. With Paan in my mouth I shout out to everyone to jump into a taxi and head back into the hotel. The other two crew members are already with Twinkle filming and waiting for us to arrive.
Our taxi pulls up and we run like the wind into Twinkle's room. She's sitting up in her bed with blood streaming down her face and pooled in her hands. I begin to ask a few question, how, why, how do you feel as the rest of the crew follow up the stairs.
Perched on Twinkles bed I became very uneasy, I looked to see if there was anyone behind me. Nothing, just Twinkle and Basit next to me but no one behind. Odd.
I tried focusing my efforts back on translating what George was saying. Again, the same feeling. Like a big deep and dark presence right behind me. I look again. Nothing. One thing I was certain of was that I wanted to get the hell out of that room! This uneasy feeling was growing inside me and I prayed inside that Dr. Buchanan would finish soon. I began to loose focus, despite my hardest attempts to remain professional I could barely speak Hindi anymore! Something was in Twinkle's room and I had to get out.
Thinking I was going mad I turned to Virendra after we finished filming for some reassurance. He told me that when he had sent Akshay, our Camera Assistant, to the room her refused to enter Twinkles room without our Sound Man. Apparently both of them felt as if there was something in the room too. I wasn't alone.
Perhaps the prayer woman wasn't wrong. Surely it can't be some kind or supernatural phenomena or Divine intervention ...or can it?
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25 Comments
I have loved NG for most of my life and take everything to heart you have to share and I believe your stories because of you reputation, but you may have blown it tonight with Twinkie's story! How on earth can you NOT put a camera in the child's home and see what happens? Please, spare me the explantion of costs! The child stays home, so sticking a camera or two in her home would cost next to nothing! I feel like I've been duped to watch a show you built up for ratings, and you sensationalized this child for that reason alone! I am surprised a doctor would make such excuses not to continue on. If he had said he was sure it was NOT a valid illness he should have said so, admit he and NG were duped and move on. You made this show and used this child for your own ratings agenda, at least that's how I, and I'm sure others, feel! Save your reputation and do the right thing, fess up it was a hoax or continue to treat this child as if she is for real for the moment! I am so disappointed in your organization. What a shame you may have stooped to the lower level of reporting for the almighty dollar. Oh, I am just so miffed after reading the article with the doctor and his excuses for no follow up. I know I am one small voice but I do hope other will follow! Ack! Do the right thing and regain your integrity!
Since there are no visible wounds, and the blood is definitely hers,the doctor has a dated record of each bleed from medical records. I would cross reference this to her menstrual cycle days and see if there is any correlation. It would seem to be the only woundless source for her blood.....assuming it is Munchausen by proxy and not a bonafide condition..
Brian- I had a similar thought with her cycle and the source of blood, but I guess we'll never know what's what, judging by the doctor's story on this site, there'll be no follow up and he wishes them luck!
I feel this was such a waste of time and I am so disappointed in the way NG is handling this story.
I never complain and for me to come here and write this took a lot. I really like NG, but...sigh.
Anyway, I was glad to see I wasn't the only one who watched this show and wondered about this child's story. Shame she's left in the lurch and we're sitting here scratching our heads because NG isn't taking this to the end for a few bucks more. Shameful and sad, so sad.
@georgiegirl - Putting a camera on the girl for a day may seem simple, but it really isn't. You have to power the camera, have an operator with the camera, and adjust controls for the long duration. You not only need to factor in the cost of labor, but also the equipment cost. For national geographic, I don't think their footage would be acceptable for scientific review. In addition, recording media is expensive, and the more of it you have, the more man hours have to go into logging and processing that footage later on.
When you produce a segment, regardless of what happens, you need to see returns. These kinds of things are expensive you know, and need to get paid for. NG has to do what it has to do to see these returns, or else you're not going to see programming at all. In the film industry, 8 out of 10 films a studio produces is a flop. The same goes for television.
If you want to be angered at someone, be angry at yourself for giving in to watching the program, registering on NG and commenting on the program, thus letting them know that their advertising is being watched, and that in the end, they are earning $ for the program.
ehmtwo-Yeah, they got me, and it's like Barnum said, 'There's one born every minute." I don't see how the doctor and NG could walk away and not see this through. Some time, if not all the time, integrity should be foremost on one's mind. And I have to set the record straight, it's not that I believe everything NG has to report, but I sure thought they had the integrity to produce shows that at least gave one food for thought. This show was just a big waste of time and if they don't see that, well...
Not to sound rude, but I don't see all that much of an expense in filming the child behind closed doors. Sheesh, the average Joe has nanny cams in their home watching their kids and babysitters these days. If 711 stores can have video surveillance cameras going round the clock, so can NG for something like this, or pay for the kid to go into some kind of venue for observation. Or put laptops or PCs in the rooms and put up a cam! As far as I'm concerned, there isn't any excuse for such a well respected institution to cop out on a follow up, and nothing will change my mind on their having falling short of the bar on this one.
What the HECK was this program? What was the point?
NG, you guys make some of the most interesting, intriuging shows I've ever seen, then you put this horrible thing on air?
Through the whole hour, then nothing figured out, no intelligent questions brought up or answered?
NG I really do LOVE your channel, but this? Come on.
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Brianqst September 13, 2009 10:35 PM
Since there are no visible wounds, and the blood is definitely hers,the doctor has a dated record of each bleed from medical records. I would cross reference this to her menstrual cycle days and see if there is any correlation. It would seem to be the only woundless source for her blood.....assuming it is Munchausen by proxy and not a bonafide condition..
Did anyone catch it when the doctor mentioned the blood clotting?
What time did the bleeding start and what time did the doctor arrive?
Why was the girl awake at that late hour?
If she was asleep when the bleeding began, exactly what made her wake-up?
Look at the back of her neck and notice the direction of the blood flow. It goes from the center of the neck and then towards the front of of her face. If she was sleeping on her back the blood would not flow up. If she was sleeping on her side the flow towards the front would only be on one side. If she was sleeping on her stomach the blood flows on the front of her head should have left blood on the pillow in the same pattern. The random blobs on the bedding don't match.Also, look at the top of her head. There is blood drop/blob on the top of her hair.
There is no flow to that drop/blob from the main blob at the crown of her head.
The blood flow only makes sense if her head was in a bowed down position.
The "blood tears" hoax is even easier to dismiss. The blood is not coming from her tear ducts. The doctor says "outside source".
The girl, her mom, or both of them are, imho faking the whole thing.
It is shameful that the doctors, at least on tape, have made no attempt to rule out ENDOMETRIOSIS. Maybe it is a hoax driven by a psychological need for attention, but a girl who starts bleeding from strange places with no signs of cuts or abrasions at the onset of puberty should automatically be checked for this disorder. She has a history of heavy periods, nose bleeds, and has been described as a weak as she grew up, and now she is experiencing seemingly 'spontaneous' bleeding. Any woman I know with those symptoms has endometriosis. I have experienced instances of random bleeding from my scalp, ears, and even my leg due to this condition, though not in the quantities that Twinkle seems to experience. If the producers are planning a follow up program that includes in-home surveillance to rule out Munchhausen's then they should also look into disorders like Endometriosis that have already been linked with such symptoms in the first place. At the very least, they should show why this has been ruled out.
northwoods-Exactly!
What a waste of an hour! Whoever approved airing this piece of garbage should be fired. TOTALLY LAME!
Hi,
I was reading this site and it shows this teenager in America who bleeds spontaneously like Twinkle does.
http://www.mediatakeout.com/2009/35355-scary_stuff_african_american_boy_from_tennessee_has_a_strange_disease__he_cries_bloody_tears_warning_-_contains_graphic_images.html
The Girl who cried blood had a witness the Bishop, was not limited to just the mother or the girl like the doctor commented
Has anyone thought it could be bleeding from her hair follicles?
"Anatomy of the Scalp
In order for hair follicles to produce, maintain and cycle hair, they need (1) a solid foundation of supportive tissue, (2) a copious blood supply to furnish oxygen, nutrients, hormones and various biochemical signaling molecules to the follicle, and (3) a network of nerves to carry the subtle neuronal signals necessary to all of the body’s activities."
(Quote taken from: http://www.ishrs.org/articles/The%20Hair%20Follicle%27s%20Complex%20Environment%20How%20It%20Contributes%20To%20The%20Success%20of%20Hair%20Transplantation.html )
I am also extremely disappointed in NG airing this drivel without the finite surveillance conclusion. This girl is massively suspicious and the first thing that popped into my head was menstrual blood about 3/4 through the program. Why is it that multiple non-doctors viewing this show can come up with that conclusion but it was not discussed? Surely there are clear indicators in a blood sample that show if it came from that source?
In any case NG should be ashamed of itself for stooping so low. Heck they might as well just start airing stuff about the death panels in the house bill.
I am suprised that they didn't mention a condition called Hematidrosis. In the show the times that she started to bleed were just following the onset of what would be a stressful situation. Plus they did mention that she bled a lot from her palms and scalp, both of which have a lot of sweat glands.
I have to also wonder if she has an Anxiety Disorder that would compound the stress.
I also didn't hear any mention of HHT: Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telanglectasia My roommate has this and it causes him to bleed from his mouth, ears, skin, eyes. So to say that they've never had any cases where people bleed from the skin like that is complete and utter bull. There are more than 5000 people with HHT, or Osler-Weber-Rendu syndrome, which is a hereditary condition that is caused by leaky valves. Most of the people afflicted with this hereditary condition only suffer nose bleeds, but the more sever cases bleed all over. From what I could tell, they didn't even bother looking at the girl's valves. I would say she needs to go to a better hemotologist.
However, I will add that if it's HHT, there isn't much they can do to help you, other than give you Iron and B-12 and try to keep you alive. http://www.hht.org/about-hht/
Her condition seems to focus around the hair follicals, I noticed this straight away. HHT usually hits people harder in various areas on different people. Some people get hit in the lungs, others the heart, liver, kidneys. Exposure to extreme weather conditions, heat, cold, can often trigger episodes.
Janci,
The Bishop did NOT witness the bleeding. Twinlke stated that her mother noticed it when they were coming out of the ladies room.
I agree with GeorgiaGirl....pls have a part two on this story. I want to see how the US Dr can help this young lady.
I watched the program and normally love all of Nat.Geo's programs but this to me was a clear case of fraud. Note the slight indicators exibited on her face during the questioning. She is lying and hiding something. Also note that the bleeding never seems to occur in front of someone. I think the child is either manipulated by the mother or has some dire need for attention and validation.
My hypothosis of the origin of the bleeding is that the child is experiencing irregular and frequent periods and is using vaginal blood. There are no traces of blood in the tear ducts and the blood always appears as a smear even on the back of her neck, the patterns of the blood are not consistent with normal tear production flow and the pull of gravity on a fluid. Also note her 5 minute clotting test passed, her platelets were slightly low but not low enough to fail.
Another key factor is that the mother takes the child and flees when a valid cure or attempt at one is made. Whether it is Munchausen by Proxy or just a need for validation or perhaps symptoms of acute stress due to perhaps a dysfuntional or abusive home life remain to be proven but a sure way to clear that up would be to test the blood for vaginal cells and tissue. Simple.
i agree with these people and was upset by the show. I really think that we, as viewers, deserve a follow-up episode. And yes!! Check that blood to see if it is vaginal! That was my idea immediately!
This is the worst show i have ever seen on NatGeo, you guys should be ashamed of yourselves. You present this as one of your regular shows documenting a genuine rare condition, this is a hoax and you knew/know it and you had us sit through it without exposing it.
This was just stupid and I really felt like it was a complete waste of my time. DO NOT do a follow up show on this. Every person in the show even knew this was a hoax. Don't give this woman and her kid anymore money or attention.
I agree completely with the first post. What a disappointment! I cannot believe how low National Geographic has fallen. There is no science here of any kind! Just voyeurism, pure voyeurism.
I am very disappointed in NG, I too, am a big fan of NG but this story made me less eager to watch other shows. As an MD, I think Twinkle is either faking all this or her mother is involved - there is no medical condition, that I can recall, that leads to this presentation. NG rating will sky rocket if this hox is uncovered.
Hey guys whats happens to all of you.
you all are disappointed for what?
I do not blam to NG. I just want to ask a question to evry one. Do you all believe in God. I know evry one will say "Yes". so why you believe in God, you all havn't seen God. But we believe
just like that God have just not made only men on this world. there are many creatures in this earth , such as animals, plants and many more. just like that God has also created some thing we don't know.
I believe.........
Just think about it.
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